The Sword and the Shield

by sunspid3r

A man who's too strong for love, meets a woman far too soft for war. But Levi should know better than anyone that looks can be deceiving, because behind that pretty face, there's a lifetime of secrets waiting to rear their ugly heads only in the face of despair. If there's such a thing as fate, she's a fickle little whore. [Levi X Fem!OC, Slow Burn, NSFW, sun/moon trope supremacy]

14. Chapter 14 - Vermilion

A/N: I like to call this chapter "How many fanfic cliches can I fit into one giant chapter?" I will not apologize for the cheesiness you're about to read.

Chapter Fourteen – Vermilion

Quinn just couldn't shut up about the next expedition.

She was far too pent up from the winter, and as the temperatures climbed, so did her spirits. She really did try her best not to overdo it, but sometimes it felt like Levi was almost encouraging her rambling. She would end up telling him stories about different places beyond the walls that she'd visited in the past, even the boring ones. Levi seemed just a smidge more talkative in return, and started asking questions that led her to elaborate even further.

At this point, she thinks he might just find it amusing.

Levi seemed to be in a better mood too, at least for his standards. It didn't take more than one harsh freeze for him to find out that winter on the surface does indeed, suck ass. It must've made him really appreciate when the weather was nice, because he always seemed just a hair more upbeat when they were outside training.

Which again, wasn't much for him, but just enough for her to notice.

Quinn continued to train with him throughout the entire month, and by the end of it, Levi called her a "damn prodigy". It was the last thing she needed to gain full confidence that she was capable of reverse-operating her ODM gear out on the field. She felt fully prepared for their first expedition of the year, which was just a couple of days away. Or, more specifically, the day after the celebration of the spring equinox.

And thanks to a few extra hours of work and some strategically batted eyelashes, Quinn had convinced Commander Shadis to let her leave a day early to spend it at home.

It was going to be a rough trip, given the fact that Shadis forbid them from taking their own horses — saying something about overworking them or something along those lines. They weren't allowed to take any of their gear, either, aside from their belts and straps, given those practically take hours to put on. The overnight ferry ride to Wall Maria was a bit slower, but at least it was pretty.

Despite the long trip, Hange insisted on coming too. Quinn didn't even have to say anything – they knew the moment the dates were announced what Quinn's plans would be. They always loved pestering Quinn's parents, and with her family's hospitality, they dealt with Hange's insanity with grace. Far too much grace.

She hasn't told Levi about it yet, and she's not exactly sure how to. Quinn knows that he had only gone last year because of Isabel, and that was only in Trost — that didn't include the long ass trip to Shiganshina and substantial loss of sleep. She would also probably have her brother with her for a good majority of the day, and an unruly seven year old sounds like just a bit more stress than Levi would be comfortable dealing with.

Part of her wanted him to go, but that was only because she was so used to seeing him every day now. One way or another the two would run into each other, even during the days they weren't training.

Or in the evenings. Or late at night, sometimes.

The point is that it's totally not weird that a tiny part of her wanted him to come.

"Quinn? Quinn!"

"Hm?" Quinn snaps her attention back to Hange, who's staring at her in confusion from across the table. The two were sitting in the far corner of the mess hall, sipping on what was now two lukewarm cups of tea.

"I asked if you had already found a room or not."

Oh, yeah. That. While Quinn's house was comfortable, it wasn't exactly roomy enough to accommodate them overnight — much to her little brother's disappointment. "Yeah, I had my mom find an inn in town who still had one available. Gave us a deal, too."

"What's this 'room' for?"

Both Quinn and Hange (who really should've seen something given that they were facing that direction), jump in their seats. Quinn turns her head and glances up, and sure enough, Levi is looming just behind her.

"I'm gonna put a bell around your neck., like a cat."

"I'll scratch your damn eyes out. What's the room for?"

Quinn glances over at Hange, then back to Levi.

Well, cat's out of the bag now. Pun unintended.

"Hange and I are leaving a day early so we can go attend the festival in Shiganshina."

Levi's expression remains fairly neutral, but there's a small glint of something unusual in his eyes. He almost looks… insulted? "Why are you taking four-eyes with you?"

Quinn glances back over to Hange, who gives her an exaggerated smile. "They pretty much invited themselves the moment they heard I was going. They've met my family quite a few times now since we were cadets."

Levi lets out a small 'hmph'. "And you just conveniently forgot to mention this?"

There's a tiny trace of attitude in his voice, one that makes Quinn's mouth curl up into a sly smirk. "What, are you offended that you didn't get an invite?"

The perfect opportunity to prod at him and find out just how he really feels about the idea just dropped into her lap.

"And what if I am?"

Fuck.

Quinn's expression goes from smug to surprised in the blink of an eye. "I- uh- well, I just thought you wouldn't be interested. It's an overnight ride there, and we'll have to take the ferry since Shadis doesn't want us taking our horses a day early, and I'm probably gonna have Jericho glued to me for most of the day, and my family is gonna be really—"

"Relax, Quinn. You don't have to make excuses for not wanting me to go."

This jackass.

He already knows what she's thinking, but he's trying to coax it out of her, like it's some dirty little secret.

She can play this game, if he wants.

"If you want to come, all you have to do is ask nicely."

There's a small twitch at the corners of his mouth. "What, you want me to beg?"

"Depends. Would you?"

Levi pauses, the muscles in his jaw flexing for a moment before tilting his head down, towering over her just a bit further. There's something nefarious in his eyes.

"Can I come? Please?"

Blood rushes up to Quinn's face so fast that she's afraid it's going to spout out of her nose. Her throat goes completely dry, and she has to swallow a few times before she can even try to formulate a response. "I- yeah, I mean- if you really want to, yeah."

The faintest smirk spreads across Levi's face as he pats the top of her head. "Good."

And then the fucker just walks away.

Quinn can feel the heat radiating from her face, a knot of irritation twisting somewhere deep inside of her. Scoffing and turning back to her tea, Quinn finally looks back at Hange, who has their jaw dropped to the floor.

"What the hell was that?!"

Their outburst completely catches Quinn off guard. "What? What the hell was what?"

Hange gestures wildly in the direction Levi had walked off in, and then back to her. "That! That whole fucking— mind fuck I just watched!"

"What? We argue all the time, it isn't that big of a deal."

Hange looks completely baffled by Quinn's response, and she isn't really sure why. "Arguing? That's what you're calling it?"

"Well, what would you call it?"

"Flirting, like any other sane human being with eyes! Mine don't even work that well and I could've called that out from a mile away—"

Quinn scrambles over the table and slaps her hand firmly over Hange's mouth. "What the hell is wrong with you? Keep your voice down!"

They compliantly remain quiet before Quinn removes her hand.

"Please explain to me, in detail, how the hell that wasn't the most blatant flirting I've ever seen in my life."

"Flirting is done with intent!" Quinn hisses in the quietest voice she can manage, given her absolute shock at what Hange is implying. "Levi and I aren't into each other like that. At all. Plus, isn't flirting usually, like, nice?"

"It might be, if it wasn't coming from Levi."

Quinn shakes her head and sips her tea extra begrudgingly. "Levi doesn't flirt."

"You're kidding me. Then what about the cum innuendo? How the hell are you gonna explain that?"

Quinn stands up from her seat in absolute horror, her face further twisting in disgust. "Cum? That's disgusting! I don't know what depraved worm crawled its way into your brain Hange, but you need to dig it back out." She moves to walk away, then turns back around and points a threatening finger at her friend. "And don't you dare say some shit like that around Levi."

As Quinn storms away, she hears the loud thud of Hange hitting their head against the table.

︎***

"Y'know, I was just fucking with you earlier. You don't have to take me with you."

Levi's fingers hold the rim of his tea cup with care, his eyes fixed on Quinn from just over his hand as he takes a sip. She's sitting on the counter across from him, her legs dangling as she cradles her own cup in her hands.

"What, you're backing out now?" Quinn snorts before taking a drink of her own. "You obviously don't have to come. Like I said, it'll be a long trip, and it's right before the expedition." She glances down at the cup as she rests it back in her lap, her voice a bit softer. "But there is an open invitation. At least, for you. And Hange."

There's a small pause before she adds in Hange, like she has to scramble a bit to say it. The corners of Levi's mouth start to rise again. "You did say the festival was a lot nicer in Shiganshina. Or was that just you talking out of your ass?"

Quinn kicks a foot out that's obviously nowhere close to hitting him. "Guess you'll have to find out."

"Guess so." Levi pauses and drinks the final remnants of his tea, then sets his cup to the side. He thinks on his words for a moment before he speaks. "I think Isabel would want me to go."

Quinn mirrors him and sets down her own cup. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. She had a lot of fun last year. She'd call me a huge grump if I refused to go again."

"Hm. Maybe." Quinn says thoughtfully as she hops down from the counter and — ah, yes, Levi is already grabbing a rag to wipe it down. "I don't think she ever really thought you were a grump, though."

"Why's that?"

Quinn gathers their two cups and carries them to the sink. "On the first night I was put on watch with her, Isabel said that she believed deep down you're just a big softy."

Levi snorts as he folds up the cloth in his hands. "She always was a little delusional."

"I dunno." Quinn teases over her shoulder. "I think she might've been onto something."

"What, are you saying you actually agree?"

Her hands submerge themselves in lukewarm water as she scrubs the ceramic lightly, then rinses it. Quinn chews on the inside of her cheek as she contemplates how to respond. "Don't get me wrong, you can be a bit rough around the edges. But I think that beneath all that, you're a lot more compassionate than you let on. You just… have a different way of expressing it."

A quiet moment passes as Quinn wipes her hands down with a nearby rag. She doesn't notice Levi approaching from behind her, not until he speaks up from just a couple feet away, voice low and soft.

"You really believe that?"

The hair on the back of her neck stands up once she realizes just how close he is. Not touching, not even close to it, but just enough that she can feel his presence closing in on hers. She turns around to face him, the edge of the countertop pressing into her lower back. "I do."

While Levi's face shows appreciation, he doesn't look convinced in the slightest. It's like he's accepting the compliment, but he doesn't believe it – can't believe it.

So, Quinn pushes it a bit further.

"You don't really care for kind words, and you don't come off as very approachable to others, but that doesn't mean you're a cold-hearted person. You don't coddle to people's emotions, and you aren't afraid to hurt someone's feelings if it's necessary. You never sugar coat things, so every nice word that you do say is always genuine."

Levi's face softens even further. He even looks like he's starting to turn a little pink.

"You're a man of action. When something breaks, you fix it. When there's a mess, you clean it. When there's danger, you fight it. And you do it all whole-heartedly. Most people might not see it, but Isabel did. And I do too."

Something small lights up in his eyes, reflecting against shades of muted gray, looking straight into hers for a moment before they run away. When they return back to her, that light is gone. Instead there's… sadness. Defeat.

"It's late. We've got a long day tomorrow. You should try to get some sleep."

There's a strange feeling in the air that's there and gone before Quinn can even acknowledge it. She has to blink a couple of times before her brain reverts back to normal.

Had she said something wrong? Did she go a bit too far? He doesn't seem uncomfortable or upset at her in any way, so she has no real reason to argue. None that would make sense, anyway.

"Yeah. Alright, Levi."

*︎**

Of course it was cold.

Of course it was fucking. Cold.

If there's one thing about early spring that Quinn just adores, it's the random bursts of cool weather that come out of absolutely nowhere. She could feel the bite in the air as soon as she woke up, and it only got worse as she made her way outside. Even after throwing a thick sweater over her dress, she found herself shuddering at random the entire wagon ride to Trost.

She should've known it would only get worse when they got on the ferry, with the cool water surrounding them only intensifying the discomfort. Levi and Hange had already banded together to make several jokes about how she resembled one of those 'rat dogs' from Sina, like it didn't get old after the first three times. It felt like she spent the first couple of hours of their trip glaring at the two the whole time.

Somewhere along the line, probably when the sun finally went down, Hange had disappeared inside, leaving Quinn and Levi sitting shoulder to shoulder as they watched the land idly pass them by. Another shiver rushes over her, only getting more intense as the pitch black of night settles in.

After a few moments of silence, Levi finally speaks up. "Y'know, we can go inside at any point. It's probably crowded in there now, but it's warm."

Quinn shakes her head as she pulls her sweater tighter around her, glancing up above them to a pitch black sky littered with stars. "Nope. Not nearly as pretty."

Levi lets out a scoff of a laugh and stands up from his seat. "You need to pick your battles."

There's a black jacket draped over his shoulders — one that he gently shrugs off before addressing Quinn directly. "Lean forward."

He doesn't give her a choice, and he doesn't wait for an answer, he just wraps it securely around her shoulders without a word. Just like his cloak, it's warm — both in temperature and in scent. Peppermint, black tea, Levi.

There's a very anxious butterfly going absolutely feral in her stomach right now.

"Thank you." Quinn murmurs sheepishly. Levi acknowledges her with a grunt as he sits back down.

It's incredibly peaceful outside, now that Hange and a good number of the other passengers have disappeared. There isn't much noise other than the soft sound of water colliding with the side of the boat. Now that she's a bit warmer, Quinn starts to relax a bit, the side of her arm pressing into Levi's as she leans into her seat. He doesn't flinch back. Neither does she.

After a few minutes, there's finally a break in the silence as Quinn lets out the most muffled yawn she can manage.

"I warned you to get some sleep, brat." Levi scolds from her side.

"I did!" Quinn insists as best as she can through another yawn. "I think it's just because of how dark it is tonight."

She sees Levi glance up at the sky out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah. No moon."

"Mm, yeah. But it makes the stars even prettier."

Levi's attention goes from the stars, to her. "It does."

Quinn presses her lips together in a fine line, trying and failing to suppress another yawn. She hears Levi sigh at her side.

"You can rest, if you need to." Levi says as his eyes move to the floor. The next part comes out as a mumble. "Just don't fucking drool on me."

A playful smile spreads across Quinn's face. "What, is that an invitation for me to rest on your shoulder?"

Levi lets out a tch and shakes his head. Through the dim starlight, he almost looks embarrassed. "Not anymore."

Quinn is stunned for a moment, mouth half parted as she debates how exactly she's supposed to proceed.

It was? But now it isn't?

She huffs and decides she's gonna do it anyway.

She doesn't have to move much, just angle her body to the side a bit as she rests her temple on the peak of Levi's shoulder. She can feel him tense up for a moment, before she feels the muscles in his arms relax ever so slightly. She decides to push herself just a little bit closer, pressing her cheek where her temple was and letting her temple rest clover to his collarbone. Like before, Levi goes rigid, but only for a second. Once he lets himself relax into it, he feels a bit more at ease than he did when she had first leaned up against him.

It's not the closest she's ever been to him physically, given all the training they've done together, but it might as well have been. There's too many other things to focus on when it comes to fighting, but here, there's nothing. Nothing distracting her from the warmth radiating off of his skin, or the feather light rise and fall of his shoulders as he breathes. That same smell on his jacket is embedded in his shirt, but stronger. It's… comforting. It makes her release stress she didn't even realize she was holding onto.

It doesn't take long before Quinn feels her eyelids start to get heavy, and she almost startles herself when she finds herself giggling against Levi's shoulder.

"What?"

"You know, other people would probably be too tall for me to do this."

"I'm gonna throw you over the damn ledge."

*︎**

When Quinn wakes up a few hours later, she feels an unexpected weight against her head.

The sun had just barely started to come up, the once pitch black sky now tinted a deep blue. There's a sliver of orange light on the horizon that's gradually glowing brighter and brighter.

She doesn't dare move a muscle, savoring the peaceful moment all to herself. She watches the sunrise devour the sky whole, Levi's cheek resting comfortably against the crown of her head, his breathing gentle and even. He lets out the smallest trace of a snore, and Quinn has to hold her breath to keep herself from laughing.

Isabel was 100% right.

︎***

The first thing Levi noticed about Shiganshina's festival was that it was a lot less packed than Trost — and he was thankful as hell for it. Part of him was dreading having to suffer through another large crowd all day, being dragged along by Quinn and Hange doing who knows what, but now he actually felt inclined to keep pace with them instead of looming behind.

He had already figured that they'd be going to see Quinn's family before they do anything else, and he was right. Quinn immediately started leading both him and Hange through the city, taking them to the edge of town where the houses were just a bit nicer. Not in any kind of fancy way, just bigger structures and even some grassy areas. Every house they passed followed this trend, including the one that Quinn stops in front of.

There's a small yard that leads up to the front door, crowded with a bunch of different gardening plots. A few large sections for food, and a couple smaller ones for flowers and herbs.

She wasn't kidding when she said her mother's family came from farmers.

To the side is a large shed, filled with gardening and woodworking tools. As they pass it by, a small cat slinks out of the doorway.

"Oh hi, Bugsy!" Quinn says excitedly in a high pitched voice, picking up the cat and cradling it in her arms. It's a complete solid black, with beady yellow eyes that currently look less than amused to be doted on.

"Bugsy?" Levi asks, trying and failing to hide the amusement in his voice.

"Hey, I was like ten when I named him, okay?"

Bugsy looks even less happy when Quinn starts to plant tiny kisses on the top of his head, but he doesn't resist or pull away. There's actually a moment where the cat's eyes flutter shut, and it looks like he nudges against her face slightly.

Quinn seems to take that as an acceptable hello, and releases the animal from her arms. She turns back to both Levi and Hange, like she's preparing to give them instructions, when the door behind her swings open before she can get a word out. She winces like she's in physical pain when her mother calls out her name.

"Quinn, dear! There you are!" Her mother exclaims as they approach the front door. She immediately pulls Quinn into an unexpected hug. "I was worried you might've missed the ferry, we've been expecting you for a couple of hours now."

"Mom, we got here an hour early."

Quinn's mom waves her hand dismissively. "Oh please, you know they al-"

"Mrs. Strober!" Hange yells suddenly as they run up to give Quinn's mom what's almost a violent hug. Levi has half a mind to grab them and yank them off before they do any permanent damage to the poor woman, but Hange pulls back right before he can.

"Ah, hello Hange." Quinn's mother addresses them with an awkward but still very polite smile. "It's a pleasure as always to see you."

"And a pleasure as always to see you! How are things? How's the little kiddo? What is he now, like, four?"

The woman lets out a nervous laugh. "Well, not exactly-"

Her words are cut short the moment she spots Levi standing a couple feet back, waiting to be introduced like a respectable human being. She looks genuinely shocked at his presence. "Well I don't believe it, look at this! Quinn's brought a fine young man home for once."

Quinn's expression drops in horror, meanwhile Levi is trying his best not to lose his composure. She trails behind her mother in a panic as the woman starts to approach him. "Nononononono, it's not-"

Her mother completely ignores her as she looks Levi up and down, like she's making an assessment. "Y'know, I was starting to lose hope for you dear, but you've got quite the handsome young lad here."

Oh, this is too fucking funny.

"Mom, you met him several times last year."

'Met' was a generous way to put it. Levi purposefully distanced himself whenever Quinn would get her brief visits with her family on their way out. Those moments were too important for him to interrupt.

Quinn's mother extends her hand out formally. "I'm Johanne, Quinn's mother. It's nice to meet you sweetheart."

Levi shakes her hand and introduces himself, and he thinks deserves an award for how well he's keeping it together. Glancing just past Quinn's mom he can see Hange, who's toppling over and slapping their knee in a dramatic display of silent laughter. Quinn has her face buried in both of her hands, pressing so hard that Levi wonders if she's trying to suffocate herself.

She probably is. He can't even blame her.

"Mom, please, just listen-"

"Oh, hun, you don't have to be embarrassed. I know what it's like. Look, I'm gonna go tell your dad to grab an extra chair for breakfast. You guys come inside when you're ready. I'm sure your brother will be awake any minute now."

Her mother dismisses herself and disappears back into the house before Quinn can choke out another word. As soon as that door is shut, Hange loses their fucking mind. They walk over and grab Levi's shoulder like they're gonna topple over, wiping away fake tears and everything. Levi feels himself start to crack, and he has to cover his mouth with his hand to muffle the snickers that are breaking through because damn it, that freak's laugh is contagious.

"You should've-! You should've seen your face! It was all-" Hange pauses to do the most offensive imitation they can, then proceeds to continue going insane with laughter. If looks could kill, Hange would be reduced to nothing but ash right now with the glare Quinn is throwing them.

Then the glare shifts from Hange, to Levi, and suddenly he's in complete control of his laughter again. Quinn storms up to him and smacks his arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why didn't you say anything?"

"If you couldn't get a word in, what makes you think I could've?"

The poor girl groans and puts her face right back in her hands.

"Look, we can go clear it up right now. I'm sorry, I should've-"

"No, it's — it's too late for that now. If I go tell her now she'll just start making a damn bullet list about how we should be, and she'll try to get my dad involved, and then this one," she pauses and gestures over to Hange. "will start going too."

Levi raises a surprised eyebrow. "You seriously expect me to play along with this?"

"Just-" Quinn pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Just, stay quiet, okay? We don't have to be here long. I'll explain it to her when I get the chance, just — don't do anything to encourage it. Act normal."

Normally the idea of playing the 'fake boyfriend' role would put Levi wayyy off, but not when it's this amusing. Plus, it's not like he has to actually do anything. He just has to stay neutral, which he was already a professional at.

It didn't help that Quinn looked genuinely distressed. He could've avoided that if he had spoken up sooner.

"Alright, fine. But let's make this as painless as possible, yeah?"

Something in her eyes flinches a bit when Levi says that, and now he really wishes he hadn't phrased it that way.

"C'mon, I didn't mean it like-"

"Let's just get this over with."

The inside of Quinn's house is surprisingly clean for a family home. The only exception is a small nook with a workbench tucked inside, crowded to the brim with various containers and substances that Levi can't even begin to identify. If he had to guess, that's where Quinn's mom does most of her work.

He has to rip attention away from the clutter before his eye starts to twitch.

Quinn's little brother is already up and moving, and he latches onto his sister almost immediately, talking her ear off throughout most of breakfast. Her father stayed seated at the head of their dining room table, holding a newspaper close to his face. He peers at Levi a few times over the pages, but says nothing.

It's made evident pretty quickly what Quinn meant when she said her family was more 'fortunate' than others. Not through any of their material possessions, but through their resources. They had eggs, so many that each person got to eat two a piece. It's amazing how good a plain egg with a little bit of salt (salt? another rarity) can taste when you've been surviving off of stale bread and gruel for who knows how long. Quinn's parents really did have their priorities straight — at least, her mother did. She seemed to be the person who ran the whole show. Quinn's father seemed a lot more passive and observant, only listening intently while her mother directed the conversation.

Surprisingly, Quinn's mom didn't make any reference to her and Levi's 'relationship', or lack thereof. He didn't understand why at first, but then he caught sight of a particularly irritated seven year old, staring him down from across the table like he was the kid's worst enemy.

Seems like the little brat already has ideas of his own.

*︎**

It was when Hange took the conversation hostage for a good ten minutes that Quinn started trying to usher them out. She had promised to take Jericho around the city for a few hours, then return him back home just before the sun started to go down. After that, she said that there were a few things that she wanted to show Levi herself.

She specified him, not him and Hange, but that could've just been a coincidence.

Between both his sister and Hange, Jericho had more than enough to keep him entertained. The kid was obviously a fan of Hange's eccentric personality, and they were surprisingly good at handling children. Of course, when the boy really wanted something the most, he would cling to Quinn's side.

"Okay, okay," Quinn insists as she comes to a stop, addressing the little boy at her side. "I'll get you a slice of pie, if it'll get you to stop whining. But, you gotta go wait over there with Hange and Levi. Quietly."

She gestures to a small sitting area a few feet away, littered with wooden benches for patrons to sit and eat. Levi figured Hange would handle the kid as per usual, so the suggestion didn't really phase him.

Then he notices the shit-eating grin on Hange's face, just milliseconds before they start to speak up.

"Actually, I saw a stall I wanted to take a peek at a ways back. But Levi should be able to handle the kid for a couple of minutes, yeah?"

Throughout the day, Jericho had been showing 'subtle' signs that suggested he wasn't exactly Levi's biggest fan. While he would talk Hange or Quinn's ear off, he hardly acknowledged Levi's existence at all – and when he did, he was giving him a stink eye from hell. Which again, didn't bug Levi all that much. It only made things that much easier.

But, apparently Hange had picked up on it too, and they couldn't resist using it as their own cruel little joke.

Jericho immediately looks displeased at the suggestion, and Levi doesn't exactly look thrilled himself. "No, that's okay." Quinn insists from his side. "Jericho can just wait in line with me, then-"

"It's fine. I'll watch the kid."

Quinn blinks at Levi a couple of times in surprise. "Oh, okay. Yeah, that works." She glances down at her brother, who looks less than enthusiastic about the idea. He gives her a sour look in protest, to which she points a stern finger at him in response. "Go – and behave. "

The boy still looks upset, but he complies and follows Levi to a nearby table. The scowl on the kid's face doesn't waver — it actually almost gives Levi's a run for his money. He simply gives the boy an apathetic look in return and turns his attention to the side — to the direction where Quinn was standing, waiting.

After just a handful of seconds, Jericho finally speaks up, and the kid chooses one hell of an opener.

"Are you dating my sister?"

Levi nearly chokes on his own spit, and he has to clear his throat a couple of times before he can answer. He sees no reason to lie to the kid, now that they're outside of the house. "No, I'm not."

Jericho goes quiet again, and Levi assumes it's safe to turn his attention elsewhere. He assumes wrong.

"You act like you're dating my sister."

"Well, I'm not."

"Then why are you staring at her?"

"Wh- I'm no-"

Levi runs a frustrated hand over his face and lets out a sigh. Jericho goes quiet again, but it's like he purposefully waits for Levi to turn away before he starts back up.

"You better not hurt her."

Levi lets out another sigh and turns his entire body to face the kid directly. "I didn't plan on it."

"You gotta promise."

It's kind of sweet really, how concerned he is for his sister. "I promise."

Jericho hesitates for a moment, then reaches one of his hands out, pinky extended. "Quinn says that pinky promises are practically law binding."

"Of course she does."

Levi holds his hand out and wraps his pinky around the boy's, and holds it until the child finally looks convinced. "Happy?"

"… I guess."

Hell, if it'll get the kid off of his back, he'll take it.

"Can I ask one more question?"

Oh boy. "Go for it."

"Why are you wearing a bib?"

"Are you driving him insane already?" Quinn's voice asks from behind Levi as she walks up with two different plates in hand. Her little brother snatches his plate as soon as she starts to hand it to him. "Manners." she mumbles under her breath, before extending the second one Levi's way. He looks from the plate to her with an eyebrow raised.

"What's that?"

"It's cherry pie." Quinn says enthusiastically as she sits down next to her brother, right across from Levi. She slides the plate over so it's sitting neatly in front of him. "Have you had it before?"

He examines the food in front of him — a shell of golden crust with a deep red center, filled with chunks of fruit. Of course, he's never had it before. He's never even had cherries.

Levi looks across the table and notices Jericho already has a layer of red jelly around his mouth. "It's awesome." the kid murmurs through a mouthful of food. Levi tries his best not to physically cringe at the sight, and glances back down to the plate in front of him.

"Seems messy."

"Well, yeah, I guess." Quinn sighs and rolls her eyes. "They don't exactly hand out cutlery at places like these. But some sticky fingers aren't gonna kill you."

Levi's upper lip twists up in discomfort, only staring at her in response.

"Ugh, fine." Quinn snatches the plate and slides it back over to her side, picking a piece off neatly with her fingers. Levi assumes she's just going to eat the slice herself, until Quinn extends her hand across the table and towards his face, the piece of pie pinched between her thumb and index finger.

"You're kidding me."

"Hey, this stuff is crazy expensive. I'm gonna make you try it one way or the other — either eat it like this, or get your own fingers sticky."

Normally the idea of eating food that's been touched by someone else's grubby fingers would be absolutely disgusting to Levi, but shockingly, not right now.

Not like this.

He glances over at the kid, who's too enamored with his own treat to pay attention to either of them.

Levi only has to lean forward slightly before Quinn tenderly slips the bite into his mouth.

The edges of both her finger and thumb glide against his bottom lip as she pulls away, smooth and feather light. It almost makes him forget that he's actually supposed to be tasting something.

The first thing Levi notices is the subtle buttery flavor of the crust, before a fruity sweetness starts to coat his tongue. He's surprised by a sharper, tart flavor as he bites down into a piece of fruit.

Quinn is watching him with those ever expecting eyes of hers. As soon as Levi swallows, he gives her a nod. "It's good."

He almost feels a bit lightheaded, which is so stupid given it was just a bit of food, but it's not the taste that's lingering in the back of his mind.

Quinn gives Levi a victorious smile, looking awfully pleased with herself. "I told you. Was it worth it?"

Yes.

"Hm. I guess."

She gives Levi another roll of her eyes, then pauses once she notices a spot of red on her thumb. The smallest remnants of cherry filling is smeared against her skin.

Nothing could've prepared him for the sight of Quinn raising her hand to her face and gently swiping her tongue over the pad of her thumb — over the same skin that had brushed up against his lips moments ago.

His attention flicks from her mouth to her eyes, and shit, she's looking right at him.

He's thankful as hell that he's sitting down right now, because suddenly, he feels like he's about to fall over.

*︎**

Both of Quinn's parents are already sitting outside when the three walk up with Jericho in tow. Her mother is hunched over her garden, taking some clippings from various plants, while her father is lounging in a chair next to his makeshift workshop, a cigarillo held firmly in his mouth.

Jericho immediately runs to his mother first, already rambling about the time he spent with his sister. Quinn follows close behind, trying to debrief her mother as quickly as she can. After she's done, she turns around to face Levi and Hange.

"I'm gonna step inside real quick, okay? It'll only be a minute."

Both of them nod in agreement and watch as Quinn disappears through that front door. Hange is already gravitating back towards Quinn's mother, bombarding the poor woman with odd questions about her garden. Levi has no idea why they're so interested, and he honestly doesn't care to. He's perfectly content to wait further back until Quinn is ready to leave.

That is, until he hears someone address him from his side.

"You." Quinn's father gruffs out. "You're Levi, right?"

Levi nods in response. Her father gestures to a similar chair sitting a couple feet away from his. "Come sit for a minute."

Oh boy.

Levi isn't sure what to expect, especially since he has no idea how much Quinn's mother actually told her father in the time they were gone. But, the man doesn't seem agitated in any way, so he'll take that as a good sign.

As Levi sits down, Quinn's father nudges a tin container his way, one that has similar cigarillos arranged neatly in a line. "You want one?"

Levi knew someone who used to smoke something similar to these.

He holds up his hand and politely refuses.

Quinn's father sets the tin back to the side, studying Levi with keen eyes. After a few moments, he addresses him again. "You aren't really dating my daughter, are you?"

It's not a serious question — it's obvious he already knows. Seems Quinn's father is even more observant than he thought.

"No, I'm not."

Her father nods and hums in response. "I figured as much."

Levi knows it shouldn't really matter, but he decides to ask anyway. "Can I ask what gave it away?"

The man pauses and takes a draw from the small cigar in his mouth. "If you really were dating her, we wouldn't be able to get her to shut up about you right now."

"Is that what she's been like in the past?"

Levi isn't sure where that question came from — he had blurted it out before he could stop himself.

Quinn's father snorts and chuckles out a laugh. "There is no past – at least, as far as I know. You're the only man she's ever brought around here. I just know my daughter, and I know that she's loud about the things she loves."

Yeah. Levi already knows that's true.

"Don't look so discouraged, though. She's shy around you, and that's a start."

Did he really look discouraged by that? He really shouldn't have.

And as far as shyness goes, Quinn certainly didn't seem very shy earlier.

Levi isn't sure what to say. He can't think of a polite way to clarify that he doesn't want to start anything with this man's daughter. It doesn't help that Quinn's father is staring at him again, only this time he's studying Levi's eyes in particular.

It's subtle, but there's a moment of realization in the man's eyes.

No, more like recognition. Familiarity.

"You aren't from anywhere near here, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

The man still seems fixated on Levi's eyes. "And you aren't like other people either, are you? You're strong. Scary strong."

Levi's eyes widen slightly. "What do you know about that?"

Quinn's father shakes his head and waves his hand dismissively. "Trust me, I don't know anything more about that than you do. You just remind me of someone I used to know. Someone I used to do business with." He pauses as he flicks the end of his cigarillo to the ground, stepping on it with one foot. "Out of curiosity, Levi, what's your last name?"

"… It's just Levi."

The man lets out a thoughtful 'hmm', but cuts his words short when he spots his daughter walking back outside of their house. Levi notices her almost immediately — she makes it really hard not to.

The cold front they had been dealing with broke around midday, and now they were blanketed with a pleasant warmth that would probably last well into the evening.

And it seems Quinn finally felt comfortable enough to shrug off her sweater.

The sleeves of the dress she's wearing drape loosely down her arms, leaving her shoulders and collar completely exposed. There's a lace trim that runs from the start of her sleeves to the front of her dress, the puffy fabric hugging low on her chest. It's a simple soft white, but there's a corset hugging tight around her waist, a small floral design stitched down the sides.

He tries not to make it too obvious that he's staring — not while Quinn's father is right next to him, already glaring at Levi like he just knows.

"Listen, kid." Her father starts. "I know that girl is as strong and fearless as they come, but she can be a bit sensitive and honestly a little impulsive. But I bet you've learned that by now." The man glances out at his daughter with sadness in his eyes. "She definitely doesn't seem like the kind of person who'd willingly throw themselves into the pits of hell. I worry about what it could… turn her into. So, just watch out for her, okay?"

His words are cryptic, but there's a chill in his voice that tells Levi that he's very serious about this. It helps him finally put his thumb on the one thing that's been putting him off about Quinn's father this entire time.

He's afraid of something.

"Yeah, alright. I will."

*︎**

Quinn seemed a lot more upbeat now that she had Jericho off of her back. There was a permanent smile plastered across her face as she drug Levi and Hange through the city, pointing out different shops and telling them different stories. Levi had to admit, the festival did seem a lot different in Shiganshina than it did in Trost. It felt a lot more… genuine. Maybe that's just because the city was a lot closer to what he's used to. The districts further inward were a lot nicer — and cleaner — than the environment he came from, but it all still felt extremely… foreign. Things felt a bit simpler here, even if most of the roads were paved with dirt instead of cobble.

His chaparone's pace finally starts to slow as soon she catches sight of a small pub, seemingly packed to the brim with patrons. Quinn turns around to face the two of them, addressing Levi directly. "Do you remember the mead that I had you try in Trost last year?"

"I do."

"What if I told you that I know of a place that makes some that's ten times better?"

Levi raises an eyebrow and looks from Quinn to the nearby bar. "It wouldn't happen to be that place over there, would it?"

"Lucky guess." she smirks. "I don't suppose you would be willing to brave that crowd to try it?"

"You already know I'm in!" Hange butts in excitedly — and of course Quinn already knows. She's asking him.

"I guess I can endure a few minutes of torture. But it better be good."

Quinn grins excitedly and leads the two through the front doors.

Through some divine miracle, Quinn manages to spot a free table almost instantly. Levi sticks close behind her, watching from the corner of his eye as they pass by a number of different groups of people, a good number of them being intoxicated men.

Walking Quinn through a place like this is like slathering her in honey and tossing her into a pit of bears.

No, the bears would be far more gentle.

Luckily for everyone involved, nobody seems to be paying her any special attention. At least, not right now.

Quinn makes sure that both of them are seated before she insists on grabbing the drinks herself. Levi wants to argue, but he tries to remind himself not to patronize her, considering she could throw half of these men over her back with one hand if she needed to. She's more than strong enough to handle herself if one of these fuckheads gave her any trouble.

Still, he keeps his eyes on her the entire time, watching like a hawk.

"So, you gonna actually stop beating around the bush and say something to her tonight?"

Hange's snide comment makes Levi stop breathing completely, before he slowly turns his head towards them in horror.

"What the hell did you just say?"

"Oh, nothing..." Hange trails off, their voice riddled with wicked sarcasm. "I was just thinking that it'd be a nice social experiment to see if you have the physical capability to grow a pair."

Oh, they're pushing all the wrong buttons right now. "I don't know what kind of idea you've got in your head right now, but it's the wrong fucking one. I've already told you before that I don't have any weird feelings for her. We're just friends."

Just friends.

"Mhm. Right. I'd totally drool over my friend's low cut neckline, too. Although, I can't say I blame you. They do sit awfully pretty in that dress."

Levi's face is scorching, Hange's accusation instantly making him flush a deep red. "Shut your fucking mouth. You might think like some filthy animal, but I don't."

Hange sighs mournfully. "I really didn't want to have to resort to psychological warfare."

"Get to the point, shitty glasses."

Their tone of voice lowers and grows more serious, like it always does when they're explaining something in great detail. "If you're telling the truth, and your feelings for Quinn are purely platonic, then you should have no trouble answering me this one question,"

They lean forward from their chair and speak closer to Levi's ear for dramatic effect.

"How would you feel if some random mystery man appeared out of nowhere tomorrow and swept Quinn right out from under you?"

Levi's blood runs cold. Every inch of his body freezing up instantly.

"I mean, she's young, beautiful, and single. It's not a stretch to call it a possibility — there's nothing really stopping it from happening."

Something viscous seizes deep inside of him, strangling him from the inside. He can't move, can't breathe, lest this rage overtakes him and Hange ends up thrown through a wall.

"Let's say for argument's sake that her being treated right isn't a concern – I'm talking about a real prince charming. He'd be taking her out on dates, spending his money on her, hugging on her, kissing on her — you're telling me you'd be perfectly fine with that? Your average 'platonic' friend definitely would be."

Levi's jaw is wired shut, knuckles turning white as his hands ball up into fists at his side. What little handle he has on this pure, unfiltered rage is starting to slip out of his grasp, every stupid little rational excuse he could possibly feed himself completely thrown out the window because fuck no.

Fuck. No.

He would not be perfectly fine with that.

He's not sure what that says about him and how he may or may not feel about her, but what he does know is that he'll be damned if anybody else gets to have those pretty doe eyes look at him like he's her favorite person in the entire world. The very thought nauseates him, and yet the image is now burned into his brain — Quinn tangled in the arms of a faceless man, his lips latched onto hers, her hands grabbing him and pulling him closer and-

Levi's breath hitches in his throat so hard he nearly chokes. The realization hits him like a ton of bricks.

He's fucked.

Suddenly it's not a faceless man that she's clinging to, it's him. Suddenly all he can think about is her fingers weaving themselves through his hair and how he's the only man who deserves to feel the warmth of her skin against his lips and holy shit he's so fucked.

Suddenly there's a chain around his neck, and it's heavy.

How long has it been there?

Has she noticed it?

Hange definitely did, and he's pretty sure some of their squadmates have their own suspicions. Hell, even Quinn's seven year old brother said something about it. Her father saw through their thinly-veiled lie, but then he told Levi not to 'look so discouraged' about it.

Shit. Did he really?

Fuck. He's so fucked.

"Uh oh."

Levi's attention snaps right back into place as soon as those words leave Hange's mouth. He sees them staring off in the direction where Quinn had just taken off to.

"Looks like you might not have to wait til tomorrow."

When Levi catches sight of what Hange is referring to, his rage intensifies ten fold.

It's a man, but it's far from prince charming. It's some fat, drunken pig of a man, standing next to her. Talking to her.

Of course the fucking vultures would descend the moment he looks away.

She doesn't look very uncomfortable yet, but Quinn definitely looks less than thrilled to be approached. Levi can see her saying something to the man in response, but he's not exactly at a great angle to be reading lips.

Then the man circles Quinn and stops directly in front of her, purposefully blocking her path to the bar.

One of his putrid, disgusting hands reaches out towards her, and Levi's ass is already out of his seat the moment he sees the man grab ahold of Quinn's bare shoulder. He can hear Hange try to yell after him, but there's not a single part of him that cares.

Several of the bones in the man's hand crackle and snap the moment Levi has it in his grasp, wedging himself between Quinn and the man who was apparently overdosing on audacity tonight. What was once a face of arrogant confidence was now twisted up in sheer agony.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Levi can feel Quinn's hand on his shoulder, but he can't hear anything she's saying past the ringing in his ears. He can't even hear the words that this poor sap in front of him is blubbering out.

"It hurts when somebody touches you without permission, doesn't it?"

Levi tightens his hand even further, his grip growing more and more merciless. He can feel the fingers crumbling in his grip. It brings the stranger to his knees.

"Answer me."

"Levi!"

Quinn's voice breaks through as a shout — a warning — just moments before he hears a loud crash from behind him. When Levi looks over his shoulder, he sees one of the shitstain's friends face down on the ground, a bloody gash on the top of his head. Two of his other friends are standing a couple of feet back, looking over at Quinn in horror.

There's a knife next to the incapacitated man's hand, and a partially shattered barstool in hers.

Fuck, she's pretty.

"Hey!"

Another voice shouts at them from somewhere in the back of the building. Both Levi and Quinn turn their heads at the same time and see a small group of Garrison soldiers gathered around one table. The one that yelled at them is already out of his seat, a finger pointed directly towards the two. "Stop right there!"

Levi doesn't have any time to react before he feels Quinn grab ahold of his hand, already yanking him out the door of the tavern. He can hear the sound of people scrambling behind them, but soon it's drowned out by Quinn laughing maniacally as they run full sprint down the street.

She's actually laughing at this.

It only takes a couple of twists and turns through a series of alleyways before the sound of their pursuers dies down completely. Quinn's pace starts to slow, but she's still letting small laughs under her breath.

She doesn't let go of his hand this entire time, not until they're both walking at a leisurely stroll. Her fingers drag against his as she pulls away.

"I guess this means no drinks, huh?" Quinn jokes half-heartedly. It actually draws a soft chuckle from somewhere in Levi's chest.

"Guess not."

Levi can see her sheepish smile from the corner of his eye. "I get that he was a prick, but you didn't have to break the guy's hand, y'know?"

Levi grits his teeth. His shoulders stiffen up ever so slightly. "Yes, I did."

Quinn surprises him when she stops walking completely. "But why?"

He stops moving too, and they both turn to face each other at the same time. "Because he touched you."

"Please, Levi. Be serious."

"I am being serious."

The tone of his voice is low and stern. Despite the fact that his face is burning, Levi takes a step closer to her. He accentuates each word like it's absolute. "That man touched you, so I broke his hand. That's it. That's all there is to it."

Quinn's eyes widen as a deep red blush blossoms on her cheeks, exaggerated in the dim orange light of a nearby lantern.

Despite the festival lighting up the city, it's surprisingly quiet here.

"Okay." Quinn finally breathes out. "Yeah, okay."

"You don't have a problem with that?"

She tenatively shakes her head. "Do you?"

"Haven't decided yet."

This time Quinn nods, and an idea flashes in her eyes before she breaks into a smile. "C'mon, there's one more thing I wanna show you. It's a bit of a walk, but we should still have time to get a good view."

Levi looks confused as always, but doesn't argue, nodding his head for her to move along. Quinn leads him through the city and all the way through the inner gate, to a small forest near the edge of Maria. She takes a moment to study the treeline before she picks out a particularly tall one. These trees aren't giant, but they're still big enough that the branches are plenty comfortable enough to sit on.

"I'm assuming you didn't exactly grow up climbing trees?"

Levi scoffs and crosses his arms. "You say that like it's hard."

Quinn responds with a smile and approaches the base of the tree. "Good, then this shouldn't be a problem for you — because you aren't getting a demonstration. Eyes on the ground. No peeping up my dress."

A sour expression creeps on his face as he looks away from her, trying to ignore the warmth in his ears. "Didn't plan on it."

He doesn't look back in her direction until he hears her call out from up above.

"Alright! Your turn!"

He doesn't bother trying to show off (okay, maybe he shows off a little) how fast it takes him to get up to where she's at, ending up just a hair closer than expected when they end up face to face. He quickly adverts his eyes and sits himself next to her.

"Alright, you gonna tell me why we're up here?"

"Be patient." Quinn insists, looking out into the distance. From where they're sitting, they can see the entirety of Shiganshina in the distance, hundreds of little lights encased in a circle of stone. "You'll know it when you see it."

"Tch. You and that phrase."

"Well, do I ever disappoint you?"

Levi's brow softens. He can't even help it. "Never."

Quinn presses her lips together in an attempt to suppress the smile on her face. She swings her feet out in front of her — something that Levi is starting to suspect is a nervous habit. "It's been a little over a year now since you first joined the Scouts."

"Yeah, it has."

"How do you feel?"

She doesn't prod at Levi's emotions often, but when she does, she's usually direct about it. He thinks he prefers it that way.

"I'm still not entirely sure, honestly. Some days it feels like it's completely normal. Other days it's like I have no idea how I ended up here."

He can feel Quinn's eyes on him, making him nervous.

He never fucking gets nervous.

"I'll tell you one thing, though. I'm thankful as fuck that I'm not down in that shithole anymore."

Her next question comes as a complete surprise. "Do you ever miss it there?"

Levi's face twists up in confusion, almost like he's offended by the question. "Why the hell would I miss a place like that?"

Quinn shrugs. "Because it was still your home."

Levi pauses and looks away from her again, tightening his brow and glaring down at the ground below them. "Sometimes. When I think about my mom."

Shit. Why the hell is he bringing that up?

He can't remember the last time he talked about his mother to anyone. Even Isabel and Furlan never heard more than the absolute bare minimum.

"Is she…?"

Quinn's voice trails off cautiously, trying to approach the subject as delicate as she possibly can.

"She's gone. Died when I was a kid."

Quinn stays quiet at his side, perfectly content to not push the subject any further. She's already aware that she's treading on sensitive ground as is. But, to Levi's surprise, mentioning his mother actually felt… nice. He'd avoided it for so long that talking about her out loud made her feel a bit more real — like she was a real person and not just a childhood enigma buried by hardship and trauma and survival.

"She used to take me up to this rooftop where she'd make us tea. Up there, it made the Underground look… almost pretty. At least, it was to me as a kid. Back then all I really saw were the colors and the lights, not the people living in squalor on the streets right below me."

He expects Quinn to immediately say something in response, but she doesn't. When he turns his head towards her, she's looking at him like she wants to cry, eyes all big and glassy and fawning over him like he's a kicked puppy or some shit. Pitiful little thing, she is.

"That sounds so nice." she coos.

Levi's face burns fiercely as he rolls his eyes to the side. "I guess. We didn't have a lot, but she found ways to keep me entertained. She used to tell me a lot of stories about the surface."

Quinn's head tilts in curiosity. "Like what?"

It takes Levi a moment to remember the specifics, mentally combing through dusty folders packed to the brim with old memories. "It's stupid, but I think my favorite thing to hear about was about the stars. I liked imagining a sky filled with a bunch of sparkling lights. She'd… talk to me about it to help me sleep."

Quinn's giving him that look again, her eyes flooding with adoration.

Has she always looked at him like that? Or is this because he's telling her something personal?

He feels like he could tell her fucking everything if it meant she'd keep looking at him like that.

Well, almost everything.

Still, Levi needs to at least try to keep up appearances, like his entire being isn't threatening to give out on the spot. "Why the hell are you looking at me like that?"

Quinn shrugs her shoulders again, this time with a playful smile. "I was just thinking about baby Levi getting all tucked in, holding his little blankie, listening to his bedtime stories—"

Levi shoves her arm like he's threatening to push her out of the tree. "Very funny."

"Oh, c'mon. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Everybody has a favorite bedtime story. It's funny, yours is a bit similar to mine."

"Is it, now?"

Quinn's head tilts up towards the sky, her bare skin bathing in what little moonlight remained in the sky. Her hair, warm as it is, clashes against the blue of night around them.

"My favorite bedtime story was about the sun and the moon. About how the sun admired the moon so much, but she would never let him get close to her." she said as the night sky reflected against her melancholy eyes.

"'Go and let me breathe, for you and I have decided fates. You illuminate the day, and I cast a glow on the night. We will never be. Our connection would go against what all the people believe, all that they know.'"

He bites the inside of his cheek for a moment, her words digesting like foul milk in the pit of his stomach.

"Quinn, can I be honest?"

"Of course, Levi."

"That sounds really fucking stupid."

This time she's the one shoving his arm. "Oh, thanks a lot. And here I was calling yours cute and sentimental."

Levi breathes out a hollow laugh. "I'm sorry, but it's true."

"How so?"

He takes a moment to contemplate exactly how he wants to word this. "Predetermined fates, forbidden love, all that bullshit. Nothing is set in stone — we always have a choice."

Quinn lets out a thoughtful hum. "I guess you're right. But you have to admit, it's still kind of cute."

"Cute and smart don't usually come in the same package."

There's a snide edge to his comment, one that makes Quinn bristle up next to him, even though she doesn't react visibly. He sees her open her mouth to respond, when she spots something in the distance that catches her attention. She points over at it excitedly. "There!"

Levi follows her gesture and sees a single dim light, rising slowly from the city and up into the sky. He looks less than impressed. "There?"

"Be patient."

Levi is loading up another sarcastic remark when he sees another light floating upwards, identical to the first one. Then two, then three, then before he knows it there's more of them than he can count.

"What the hell are those?"

"Paper lanterns — people in the city light them every year. It's almost like an unspoken tradition."

Levi knows he probably looks fucking dumbstruck right about now — it's reflected in the smug tone of Quinn's voice. When he finally breaks his attention away, he's met with her wide eyes staring at him, watching him like he's the beautiful spectacle in the sky.

It makes him squirm uncomfortably in his own skin. He's not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

"Thank you, by the way. I know my family can be a lot to deal with. Especially with that whole…" She pauses and does an awkward gesture with her hand. "misunderstanding, with my mom. I did get to straighten all that out with her before we left."

Levi's eyes roll to the back of his head. "You're the one who welcomed me into your home. Your family fed me and everything. I should be thanking you."

"Mm, you have a point. But, you did also have to deal with my little brother for most of the day."

His shoulders shrug half-heartedly. "He's a good kid. I think he just thought I was trying to steal his big sister away."

Quinn lets out another laugh, but it's quieter, more hollow.

"He seems like a touchy subject for you sometimes."

Hey, if she gets to be direct, so does he.

"I guess he is, in a way." she sighs as she stares out at the city, almost like she could spot her family if she just looked hard enough. "My mom got pregnant with Jericho less than three months after I left home for the Cadet Corps, so I was never around like your typical older sister. Sometimes it feels like…. like she tries to use him against me, so that I'll leave the Scouts and come home. She treats me like I'm some absent mother rather than a big sister. And he picks up on it too. I know he does."

Levi finally breaks his eyes away from the sky, looking at her with reassurance. "I'm sure she just wants you to be safe, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice it too. I think Jericho understands a lot more than you think, though."

A lot more.

"Yeah, I know." Quinn smiles solemnly, not sounding quite convinced but grateful for the reassurance nonetheless. She crosses her arms and glances back out to the sky. The lanterns are nothing but small specks in the distance now, drifting over the outer wall and into the incomprehensible unknown.

They'll be out there too, come tomorrow morning. Levi wonders who will get further — the Scout Regiment, or those scraps of paper.

He inhales slowly through his nose, then sighs. "We should start heading back. We'll need the rest for tomorrow, and you aren't getting away with not sleeping again."

Quinn lets out a tired sigh, stretching her arms high over her head for dramatic effect. "Yeah yeah, you're right. With any luck, we'll make it back before Hange and won't have to worry about them drowning us in questions."

"Yeah. With any luck."

*︎**

They did not have the luck they were hoping for.

When the two walk through the door, Hange is already collapsed face down on the nearest bed, a puddle of bile and alcohol splattered along the blanket next to them. Levi is instantly revolted, covering his mouth and swearing under his breath. "Fuck, that's disgusting."

"Looks like Hange had a good time at the bar without us." Quinn grimaces as she examines the mess. "Don't worry, I can just-"

"Not a chance." Levi cuts her off, already scouring the room for a rag or a towel or something to at least cover the mess up. There's not a chance in hell he'll find the supplies to clean it up properly right now. "You'll sleep in the other bed. I'll sleep in that chair over there."

Just a bit further into the room, there's a small lounge chair sitting a few feet away from the currently unoccupied bed.

"But Lev-"

"Don't argue. It's late enough as it is. I slept in a chair for a couple of years, I'm fine."

Quinn seems to pick up on the uselessness of her protests, and while Levi does his best to play damage control, Quinn does what she needs to do to get herself tucked snug underneath the sheets. When he looks over at her again, she's watching him while half-propped up on her elbows, wearing what might be the baggiest shirt he's ever seen. Her hair already looks messier from the five seconds she's been in bed.

Levi does the best he can to get comfortable, but the chair is a bit awkward, even for someone of his smaller stature.

A gentle voice whispers out to him from the darkness. "Do you want a blanket?"

"No."

"… Do you at least want a pillow?"

"No."

Levi tilts his head back and rests it against the firm wooden surface. The edge of the chair digs uncomfortably into his skull.

"It's the night before an expedition, Levi. You at least need to-"

"You need to quit running your mouth and go to sleep."

A moment of silence passes before Levi hears a rustling noise coming from the bed. He lets his eyes flutter back open, and through the faint light of the room he sees Quinn has gathered up all of the blankets on the bed and wrapped them tightly around herself. She tucks in her knees and scoots to the very edge of the bed, leaving as much open mattress as she possibly can.

"See? Now it's not even weird. I'll be all the way over here. Just– at least lay back. Rest. Please."

She's giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes she can manage, which is practically all that's visible of her given the cocoon she's made for herself.

'The problem isn't that I don't want you near me, idiot. The problem is that I do.'

Levi pushes himself up from the chair and lays back onto the bed, still ending up less than a foot away from the wad of blankets Quinn was assimilated with. Her forehead is only a few inches away from his shoulder, pulled back just far enough that he can see the light catch the sheen of her eyes when she looks up at him.

"Goodnight, Levi."

Fuck, just gut him right on the spot.

"Goodnight, brat."

*︎**

Levi's eyes haven't moved from the ceiling for at least an hour now, staring into the emptiness like he's begging it for answers. The void offers nothing in return — nothing to explain away this perpetual ache that's now settled deep into his bones.

Quinn's face is pressed up against his arm now, almost like she's nuzzling into him. Through the fabric of his shirt he can feel the caress of her breathing, slow and even. With every unconscious movement that brings her closer and closer, Levi only feels more and more strung out.

He wants to shove her off.

He wants to pull her in so close that he suffocates her.

He still doesn't have the faintest clue how to navigate this — he's still not sure he even knows what the hell is going on. Never in his life has someone's presence had him so on edge. He feels like he's being torn apart at the seams.

Of course he's been drowning himself in his own bullshit this entire time. Of course it would be a fat dose of blood-boiling jealousy that would make it all bubble to the surface — and of course Hange would be the damn catalyst of it all.

He wishes he could go back to being bathed in denial, damn that freak and their smart ass mouth. He'd had himself so convinced that the way he cared for Quinn was similar to the way he cared for Isabel and Furlan — like a friend, like family. Being overprotective definitely isn't new for him, but the moment he thought of some other bastard touching her, he was made aware of just how empty his own depraved hands felt. It's overwhelming, thinking about how his chest seizes whenever she smiles at him, or the way she says his name so sweetly he wonders what it might taste like on her tongue—

Levi squeezes his eyes shut so tight he starts to see stars. He should not be thinking about any of this right now, not with their first expedition of the year coming just in the morning. They just need to survive through tomorrow, then he can start to digest what the hell this is — and what the hell he should do about it.

They just need to survive through tomorrow.

The softest hum comes from the girl at his side as her head shifts even closer, and he's starting to understand why she's wrapped herself up in this makeshift straight jacket. Quinn is far from a graceful sleeper, and obviously has no sense of personal space.

It's also very possible that she has some freaky heat-seeking instincts that activate in her sleep. She has called him warm before.

From where she's laying, Levi can smell a mellow sweetness radiating from her hair. It's the same smell he had woken up to on the boat — and for the split second he had to acknowledge it, he couldn't help but notice just how comforting it was.

He'd only have to nudge his head slightly to the right to press his face into the warmth, to savor her presence, if only for a moment.

God, he's pathetic. A depraved little creep.

Would she feel violated by the idea if he did it? If he tried to get just a little bit closer to her while she was unable to pull away? She's out cold, and Levi knows damn well that waking her up is harder than raising the dead. But, the idea of overstepping her boundaries really doesn't sit well with him.

Then he remembers the way she tucked her head close to his on the boat, and how she squeezed his hand as she held it in hers. He thinks about the pink of her lips as she licked her thumb, and he might be a delusional fuck but he swears she was making eye contact with him the entire time.

Fuck it — he could very well die tomorrow. Let Quinn crucify him for all he cares. For just this once, let him be selfish.

Just this once, let him be soft.

He turns his head just a little bit to his right — and it's like she moves closer to him at the same time. The lower side of his cheek presses against her hairline, his lips threatening to ghost against the very top of her forehead. He doesn't move them, doesn't give in to the urge to press them in further. He just… rests.

She's radiating warmth, and she smells prettier than any of the flowers she's ever shoved in his face. It draws some of the stress from his shoulders, then releases it as he exhales against her hair.

It feels so foreign that he wants to pull away, but he's not even sure he can. Something keeps him anchored in place.

The chain digs mercilessly into the flesh of his neck.

He must be a damn masochist.

Suddenly his eyelids are growing heavy, slipping lower and lower with every rise and fall of his chest. He had already surrendered himself to Quinn's wrath should she wake up upset at him, so maybe it really would be okay to stay like this.

At least, just for tonight.

Just as Levi's consciousness is about to slip away, he hears a noise coming from the bed next to him — laughter. Mischievous, vengeful laughter. Levi's head jerks over just slightly, his eyes focusing on Hange, who now has their head rotated to face their bed.

"You're so fucked."

Another faint hum vibrates against Levi's shoulder, then his collar, as Quinn pulls herself in even closer. Levi's lips are now pressed firmly against the top of her head.

Yeah, he is. He's completely and utterly fucked.